Hard Rain
by writerchick0214
Summary: Nick hated the rain. Even before the end of the world he hated it; hated how wet it was, how it ruined his expensive leather shoes, how it messed up his hair. And right now Nick hated how the rain made Ellis' shirt stick to his body in all the right places. Nick/Ellis, Nellis, set during the Hard Rain campaign. Cover art by Minutecloser2failing


A/N: After a lot of game play I thought I'd give this pairing a shot. All mistakes are my own and I'm sure there's a bunch of them, this is over 4,000 words after all. Also, I took a few liberties with one of the safe rooms in the Hard Rain campaign. You'll see what I mean.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Obviously.

WARNINGS: Bad language, violence, rough-ish sex and dirty talk. You've been warned.

Hard Rain

Nick hated the rain.

Even before the end of the world he hated it; hated how wet it was, how it ruined his expensive leather shoes, how it messed up his hair. And right now Nick hated how the rain made Ellis' shirt stick to his body in _all the right places_. The conman cursed himself because really, getting chased through a cane field by the undead was the absolute worst time to be checking out the kid's six-pack-no matter how impressive it was. Suddenly Ellis stopped, big lips turned up in a grin and Nick did _not_ get a hard on when the mechanic cocked his shotgun.

"You guys hear that?" Ellis asked, lifting his hat off his forehead an inch.

Nick inclined his head, straining to hear anything over the roar of the rain and the pounding of his own heart. Rochelle and Coach were doing the same, eyes trained in the general direction Ellis was pointing. For a long moment there was nothing, Ellis' smirk dropping just a fraction and Nick was about to tell the kid off for halting their journey when he heard it, the telltale cough of a smoker. Nick grit his teeth, trusty magnum clenched tightly in his hand.

"Goddamn smokers," He hissed, moving closer to Ellis. The specials seemed to have a fondness for the redneck.

Another cough, closer this time, put Nick on edge. They were still in the middle of the cane field, exposed to the elements and any horde that may stumble upon them: the last thing the group needed was a special on their tail. A strong hand gripped Nick's shoulder turning him to look at Ellis. With a jerk of his head Ellis walked backwards, drawing Nick with him. Narrowing his eyes Nick followed, trying to figure out what the kid's plan was. When a long tongue wrapped around Ellis' torso and jerked him back Nick was ready, pistol raised and aimed before he had a chance to put two and two together; the kid had used himself as bait. A puff of green smoke surrounded them, restricting Nick's lungs enough to make him double up, hands on his knees.

"What the hell is your problem?" Nick bellowed, watching Ellis' struggle to his feet.

"The dang thing was hidin', Nick!" Ellis winced, curling an arm around his ribs. "Them things're cowards, had to draw him out."

"You could have gotten hurt." Nick scolded, sounding like a concerned lover rather than a worried teammate.

Ellis seemed oblivious, which was just fine with Nick.

"Aw Nick," Ellis teased, rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand. It only smudged dirt on his tan skin. "I didn't know you cared."

Nick sighed heavily, a chuckle escaping despite the worry and anger bubbling beneath the surface. He placed a hand on the small of Ellis's back and led them both to where Rochelle and Coach were waiting. Ellis was looking at Nick fondly; head tilted like a puppy, lips pursed just enough to drive him crazy.

"Ellis, honey," Rochelle put her hands on her hips, mother hen coming out. "You gotta stop doin' such careless things."

"'M sorry, Ms. Rochelle." Ellis actually looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked at his boots.

"Let's get moving," Nick barked, annoyed with the confrontation.

He wasn't jealous that Ellis listened to Rochelle and not him.

Coach looked at him with a raised eyebrow and Nick practically snarled at the larger man. With a shrug Nick looked up and around, trying to determine which direction was correct-it was extremely easy to get turned around in the mass of cane plants. He huffed, grimacing at the stains accumulating on his once-white suit, the bottom hem of his pants completely brown with mud, and didn't look over his shoulder to see if the others were following. He ran into a fence, slammed it with his hand in frustration, but the noise must have alerted another horde because when Nick turned around he was faced with what looked like hundreds of zombies. With an annoyed yell Nick knocked one down with a well-placed kick to the knees, gleeful when he put a bullet through its brain. He could hear Ellis behind him going on about something him and 'his buddy Keith' had once done and soon after Rochelle (politely) told him to shut up.

Sometimes he loved that woman.

"Head for the sign!" Ellis yelled over the commotion, reminding them where they were going.

Nick ran, eager to grab the gas cans and get back, get out of this wet fucking town. The rain was making him irritable and even more short-tempered than before. He heard someone yell his name but ignored it, moving on faster than they could follow. A second later he stilled, the sounds of sobbing much too near. Something warm and heavy hit Nick's back causing him to stumble forward, flashlight falling from his hand. It hit the ground with a crack and extinguished.

"Sorry Nick!" Ellis cried from behind him, hot breath tickling his neck.

"It's fine kid, just shut up a second!" Nick hissed, holding a hand up to halt any further apologies.

"Lights off!" Rochelle whispered, catching on.

Three clicks and complete darkness followed her order, the witch walking into view mere seconds after. Nick let out a relieved sigh, bracing an arm across Ellis' chest to hold him back. The rain was coming down harder than ever as they all waited with baited breath trying to guess which direction the witch was moving. She held her head in her hands as she wandered aimlessly, upset about who-knows-what. Nick just wished she'd shut the hell up. After the witch walked about two feet too close she meandered in the opposite direction, allowing them to pass without disturbing her.

Ellis cheered delightedly, "That was close! Man, I could go for a cold one right now."

Nick couldn't help the fondness he felt warming his body.

"Maybe later, squirt." He said holstering his magnum in favor of the golf club he had strapped to his back.

"Squirt?" Ellis questioned, jogging to catch up.

Coach and Rochelle remained a comfortable distance behind them.

"You know I ain't a kid, right? I ain't _your_ kid, either."

"Oh trust me," Nick looked Ellis up and down appreciatively, "I know I'm not your daddy."

Ellis laughed exuberantly, cupping the back of Nick's neck so briefly the older man wasn't sure it actually happened. The younger man sidled past him, their bodies brushing together in a whisper of a touch that left Nick dazed. He followed Ellis, mind unable to focus on anything but the way the mechanic looked from behind, how his shoulder blades moved sinuously with every step he took.

He was acting like a goddamn love-sick teenager.

Soon enough they made it through the clearing but the sun was setting fast and none of them knew exactly where the safe house was. The area didn't have too many infected but already Nick could hear another witch, maybe two, and he wondered what made this area so prone to the devastated women. An old-school diner attached to a gas station seemed to be where they needed to go so Nick took the lead, shouldering past Coach in his haste. A wandering witch was to his left but he could still hear another not too far off, but hopefully she stayed put.

That's when things went to hell.

Out of nowhere he was washed with boomer bile; he didn't hear the gurgling of the overweight special until it was too late. The fat thing exploded too close to Nick, sent him stumbling to the right where he tripped over a decapitated infected. He fell to the ground landing painfully hard on his right elbow, the sting radiating all the way up to his shoulder and then his neck. As soon as he hit the ground the infected were on him, immediately drawn to the goo covering his body. Without thinking he yelled out, heard Coach shouting that he was down, but no one came right away. Nick's vision was blurry but he whipped out his magnum again, shooting whatever he could from his fallen position. The witch was growing upset, her cries becoming more anxious and Nick could tell it wouldn't be long before she was alerted.

Everything was becoming hazy, things tunneling and growing grey; Nick could hear another smoker and maybe even a hunter somewhere, Rochelle's desperate screams shrill in his ears. She fell into view, back on the ground as the hunter tore into her over and over again and _no one was coming_. With what felt like the last of his strength Nick angled himself just so, landing a perfectly-aimed bullet in the special's skull. It fell off of Rochelle with a soft _thump_ and she struggled to her feet, obviously drained.

"Help Nick!" She screeched, eyes turning to him. They were full of fear and desperation.

Nick couldn't hear anything now, could feel himself bleeding out. This certainly wasn't the way he wanted to go.

One second he was shutting his eyes then the next he was on his feet, a bottle of pills being shoved in his hand by a frantic-looking Ellis. His eyebrows were knit together and his lips were parted, tongue creeping out to wet them. Nick looked at the pills but couldn't get his disoriented mind to cooperate with his body, couldn't focus enough to make his arm move. Ellis' lips were moving, he was talking to Nick but the conman just stared at him, couldn't make out what was happening. The kid took the bottle back and Nick couldn't figure out what was happening until a hand was covering his mouth, prying it open to shove a few pills in. The tiny oval tablets laid on his tongue dissolving until Ellis carded one hand through the hair on the back of Nick's head and cupped his skull comfortably, his other hand resting gently on his throat. Softly Ellis guided Nick's head back to massage his throat and his body worked on autopilot, swallowing the pills dry.

Almost immediately Nick felt a small burst of energy rush through him, vision clearing, colors brightening, everything sharper and more focused. The others were looking expectantly at him, waiting to see if the pills were enough. Nick shook his head as if it would clear his clouded thoughts and grinned mischievously at them, trying to look like his cocky old self even though he was feeling anything but. Everything ached and he was feeling his age for once. Coach and Rochelle looked convinced but Ellis' gaze remained skeptical and troubled, his mouth set in a frown. The young man gripped Nick's elbow tightly, leading him away.

"Safe house is right over here, Nick, just hold on til we get there, ok?"

"I'm not gonna break, overalls," Nick said warmly.

He couldn't find himself to care that Ellis was treating him like a weak, old man.

Nick could see the safe house only a few steps away and felt a wave of relief. Inside there should be health packs and ammunition and maybe even a sleeping bag he could crash on. Fatigue was taking over again, his step slowing enough for Ellis to wrap a strong arm around his waist to support the majority of his weight. Rochelle was hovering to his right while Coach took up the rear as though he were a guard dog.

_Finally_ they reached the door, Coach going ahead to see if any specials were lurking inside. When the coast was clear Ellis steered Nick in, settling him against a table full of supplies, immediately grabbing a health kit. Vaguely Nick heard someone close and lock the safe house door but he couldn't focus on much except Ellis who was currently standing before him with an unreadable expression on his face, blue eyes impossibly wide. The young man's hands were gentle as they roamed Nick's body checking for unseen injuries, assessing the damage. Ellis _tsked_, sliding Nick's jacket off with a grace he didn't know the mechanic had.

"Got yourself real banged up, Nick." Ellis said, voice so low he almost didn't hear it.

Nick couldn't breathe when Ellis started unbuttoning his shit, work-roughened fingers trailing over the hair on his chest. Coach cleared his throat and whispered something to Rochelle before they both left, walking to the only other room of the safe house. Nick couldn't stop staring at Ellis; the way he folded Nick's shirt carefully before setting it aside, how his nose brushed the skin on the inside of Nick's elbow as he examined the bruise already forming there, and Nick definitely couldn't look away when Ellis stood and ran both hands through Nick's dirty hair. He was taller than Ellis but just barely, their mouths so close their breath mingled, Ellis' hands sure and surprisingly strong where they held Nick's in place.

"Hey overalls, are we going to play doctor?" Nick asked, voice rough.

Ellis snorted but didn't pull away. Instead he stepped closer, their toes touching, bringing them nose to nose.

"You gonna let me take care a you, Nick?" Ellis' voice was quiet but full of confidence, unflinching.

"Kid, you can do anything you want with me."

Ellis chuckled and ducked his head, a delicious blush coloring his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Once again Nick felt a fondness for the kid he'd never felt for anyone else and he instinctively reached out to grasp Ellis' forearm, muscles solid under his hand. He wasn't sure if he was holding on to Ellis to stead his wobbly legs or if that was just an excuse but either way the kid let him, even flashed Nick one of his trademark smiles. Silently Ellis worked on patching Nick up the best he could with the meager supplies in the med kit, gauze and peroxide going a lot farther that he ever could have imagined. Nick closed his eyes and let Ellis do his thing, reveling in the feel of Ellis' broad hands on every inch of exposed skin. Everything felt hypersensitive, his skin tingling in an afterglow of Ellis' fingertips.

"Christ, kid are you trying to kill me?" Nick rasped, leaning to rest fully on his elbows.

Ellis followed, draping himself lightly over Nick.

"Now why would I kill you an' waste all this hard work fixing you up?"

Whoever thought Ellis was some innocent, corn-fed hick was very, very wrong.

"What are you doing, overalls?" Nick asked, tilting his head up to run his nose along the underside of Ellis' jaw, the scrape of facial hair sending a shiver of pleasure down his spine.

When Ellis didn't answer Nick snaked a hand up and under his hat, knocking the damned thing to the ground only to grab a fistful of Ellis' hair just tight enough to make the kid gasp. The locks were curly and softer than Nick had expected, curling around his fingers perfectly. Nick chuckled deep in his throat when Ellis ground their hips together at the same time he made a desperate little noise, craning his neck against the fingers tangled in his hair.

"Fuck, Nick-" Ellis pleaded, baring his teeth.

"You like that, overalls?" Nick goaded, yanking again.

"Nick," was all Ellis said, eyes slipping shut.

Nick guided Ellis' head down and to the side, bringing their mouths together. As soon as their lips touched Ellis bucked against him, opening his mouth hotly, tongues sliding together in a wet mess that shouldn't be anywhere near as hot as it was. They were both panting harshly, loudly, soaking each other up as they moved against one other with absolutely no finesse. Ellis mumbled something but Nick didn't hear what, only processed that Ellis was pulling him up and pushing him towards some corner of the room. He went blindly, arms wrapped around Ellis' waist, eyes shut until his back hit the wall, the concrete cold on his bare back and he barely even noticed because the kid was on his knees in a flash. Those baby blues were looking up at Nick with a devilish glint, big lips wet with spit and swollen with kisses and it took everything he had to not cream his pants at the site.

Ellis made quick work of Nick's belt, tossing it aside carelessly before shucking the white pants down until they bunched around his ankles. With a groan Nick ran his fingers through Ellis' hair again, not gripping but resting, waiting for the kid to do something-anything-just put him out of his misery; he was harder than he could remember ever being, his cock bright red and leaking and Ellis was just staring at it like it was some kind of fucking prize. The kid licked his lips and glanced at him one more time before placing an unexpectedly tender kiss to his cut tip, lapping at the saltiness there. Nick hummed softly, leaning his head back against the wall enjoying the feel of Ellis around him.

"Ellis," he whispered.

Ellis twitched and for a second Nick thought he had hurt him but then the kid was moaning, taking half his cock down at once. Nick bragged about a lot of things in his past life- his swagger, his money, his gambling skills-but he had never been one to brag about his dick size because he loved to see his partners choking on it for the first time. Sucking in a breath Nick looked down his nose at Ellis taking in how full his cheeks were, face pink, eyes watering just a little.

"Christ kid," Nick breathed running his fingers along the rim of Ellis' mouth. "Those _fucking_ lips of yours. Look at 'em, wrapped around my cock like they belong there."

Ellis took him impossibly deep, swallowed more of Nick than anyone ever had and Nick held him there for a second to enjoy the wet heat. He only let go when Ellis' fingers dug into his hips hard enough to bruise. With a gasp Ellis pulled off, a trail of saliva hanging from his mouth. Sitting back on his haunches Ellis tried to catch his breath, wiping his face with the back of his hand and grinning up at Nick like the Cheshire cat, his smile all straight teeth and the promise of trouble. Ellis stood up and crowded Nick against the wall again kissing him full on the mouth, sharing his taste. In a split second decision Nick spun them around and slammed Ellis against the wall a little too hard but the kid didn't complain, just grabbed Nick by the back of the neck and drew him in again as the older man kicked off his shoes and pants leaving him completely naked.

"Fuck, take this shit off," Nick demanded breaking away from the kiss long enough to rid Ellis of his shirt.

Ellis had the body of a twenty-something guy who worked all the time and never stopped moving; all hard muscles, defined lines and a stupid tattoo that somehow did nothing to take away from his good looks. With a growl Nick shoved up against him, teeth attacking Ellis' neck brutally, biting and sucking hard enough to bruise and then soothing the red marks with his tongue. His hands fumbled with the arms of Ellis' coveralls before he got them undone, unzipping them as far as he could reach without taking his mouth off of Elli's right nipple. Ellis struggled against him, wiggling so the coveralls fell loudly to the floor.

"Nick, fuck me already," Ellis begged reaching to tug his own boxers off.

There was a shoddy sleeping bag tucked into the opposite corner of the room, the pillow accompanying it looking a little worse for wear but comfortable nonetheless. Nick kissed Ellis again devouring him like a man starved, guiding him toward the sleeping bag. Ellis got the idea quickly, breaking away to lie down, pulling Nick down on top of him so fast their chests bumped painfully. Ellis laughed and spread his legs wider to settle Nick comfortably between them. They looked at each other for a long moment just breathing each other's air feeling the hot flush of skin against skin, the drag of their body hair and the disgustingly hot way their cocks glided together.

Then Ellis hooked an ankle around Nick's ass and it was done.

Nick grabbed the bottoms of Ellis' thighs and pushed, draping one leg over his shoulder and pushing the other aside as far as it would go. The conman turned his face into Ellis' leg, nipping at the skin of his knee.

"Kid, I don't have anything to slick you up with," Nick voiced his concern.

He may like it rough, but certainly not _that_ rough.

"My coveralls," Ellis pointed at the heap of clothing, "grab 'em. Check the pockets."

Nick scurried over to the coveralls scrambling to find whatever Ellis had hidden in one of the deep pockets. There he procured a small, travel-sized bottle of lube, still sealed. He smirked over at Ellis, watching his chest rise and fall with every breath, taking in the sheen of sweat covering the younger man's body and again his eyes were drawn to his lips. Nick brushed his hair out of his face and sauntered back, spreading lube on his fingers as he went. Kneeling down he simultaneously gripped Ellis' cock in his left hand and breached his hole with his right, two fingers at a time. Ellis keened and arched up, hands groping at Nick's forearms.

"Nick. Nick, Nick, god that's good." Ellis said, pushing down onto Nick's fingers.

"Yeah? You like my fingers in you, opening you up for my cock?" Nick could never keep his mouth shut during sex.

"Yes, love it. Want you in me."

Nick added a third finger, the width of it still not as big as his dick but Ellis seemed to be enjoying the burn as he was reduced to a rambling, mumbling mess. He teased the younger man a while longer, slowly pumping his cock, fingering him at a faster, more brutal pace.

"I'm ready! Nick, c'mon, I'm ready man."

Nick kissed and licked his way up Ellis' body enjoying every ridge of muscle and dip of what curves he did have, nosing at the trail of hair leading from his groin to his belly button. He smelled musky and heady, the scent going right to Nick's head making him dizzy with need. Absentmindedly he clicked his dick up, other thoughts preoccupied with the way Ellis' mouth felt against his own and how the younger man's legs were encircling his hips, luring him in. Instinctively Nick lined himself up and pushed in just an inch already feeling the resistance, the pull of muscle. Ellis tensed but never stopped kissing Nick, hitching his legs up higher to take more of the conman. The pull of Ellis' insides was almost unbearable and he had to unlatch their mouths, holding his breath desperately to avoid slamming into Ellis with all he had.

"Fuck Nick, I ain't a girl you know." Ellis scratched his blunt nails down Nick's back in a delicious grind of pleasure-pain. "Stop treatin' me all dainty-like."

"Want it rough, do you?" Nick snarled and grabbed a handful of the thick hair atop Ellis' head, pulling hard enough to make the younger man yelp in surprise.

Instantly after the redneck's eyes darkened and he bit Nick's bottom lip between his teeth harshly. Nick gathered his weight on one forearm, giving Ellis' curls another yank and shoved in all the way to the hilt it one go. He was balls deep and impossibly tight, Ellis shouting unintelligible words in the silence and there was _no_ way Coach and Rochelle weren't hearing every single second of this but it just made Nick that much hotter for it all. Nick pounded into Ellis brutally, hiking the younger man's legs up and over his shoulders to bend him almost in half.

"Fuck kid, you're so tight. So fucking tight and hot and good for me." Nick praised Ellis over and over, mouthing over his jaw, never letting go of his hair.

Ellis arched his back and Nick slipped an arm under up, pulling him so they were chest to chest, their skin sticking and sliding together. Suddenly Ellis turned and bit at Nick's wrist, muffling his cries as he came wetly between them, coating their stomachs and chest. The clenching around his cock was enough to throw Nick over the edge, releasing Ellis' hair to brace himself on both hands and two, three, four thrusts later he was gone, pumping Ellis's full.

Nick collapsed next to Ellis and was pleasantly surprised when Ellis turned onto his side and crowded up against Nick. The conman slipped an arm around Ellis' shoulders and tucked the kid's head under his chin and soaked up the pleasant feeling of an arm wrapped snugly around his torso.

"Been wantin' to do that for a while," Ellis admitted, voice heavy with sleep.

"Yeah?" Nick asked, struggling to get the blankets over their exposed bodies.

Ellis hummed. "Yeah. Since the first time I saw you at that hotel. Thought you looked like a nice guy."

"A nice guy?" Nick laughed, shaking both their bodies. "Me? You thought I looked _nice_?"

"You are, ain't you? Good guy deep down an' all. Take care of me when I'm down, give me your last bottle of pills and patch me up good when I need it." There was a long pause during which Ellis traced patterns on Nick's chest. "Treatin' me real good right now."

"Yeah well, maybe you're just special, kid."

Fin.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you think. If I get a good response I was thinking about doing a multi-chaptered for this pairing.


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